Looks like we may have a third option for “official” Fibromyalgia drugs. A San Diego-based biotech company, Cypress Bioscience, and its lab partner Forest Laboratories put milnacipran up for FDA approval, and expect to get a green light by the end of the month.

Milnacipran has been used outside the United States to treat depression. That lineage comes as no surprise, especially as the second drug approved for Fibro treatment was Lilly’s depression medication Cymbalta.

Cypress says its drug works by blocking serotonin and norepinephrine, both pain- and mood-related chemicals in the brain. However, the numbers from its clinical trial on the drug cause some doubt. In the study, 25 percent of respondents said they felt their pain level had “much” or “very much” improved, compared to 13 percent on the placebo.

Perhaps the FDA will ask Cypress to do more extensive studies. I like the fact that more companies are looking into the causes of our condition and ways to alleviate symptoms, but I feel like this company is just trying to grasp at the money tree from a group of desperate people.